PARADISE REGAIND.

BOOK IV.

Perplex'd and trouble, at his badhaec ce reply.

The Tempter ftood, nor had what to reply,
Discover'd in his fraud, thrown from his hope
So oft, and the perfuafive rhetoric

That fleek'd his tongue, and won fo much on Eve, 5
So little here, nay loft; but Eve was Eve,
This far his over-match, who felf-deceiv'd
And rafh, before-hand had no better weigh'd
The ftrength he was, to cope with, or his own:
But as a man who had been matchlefs held
In cunning, , over-reach'd where leaft he thought,
To falve his credit, and for very spite,

Still will be tempting him who foils hiin ftill,
And never cease, though to his fhame the more;
Or as a fwarm of flies in vintage-time,
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About the wine-prefs where fweet muft is pour'd,
Beat off, returns as oft with humming found;
Or furging waves against a folid rock,
Though all to fhivers dafh'd, th' affault renew,
Vain batt'ry, and in froth or bubbles end;
So Satan, whom repulfe upon repulse
Met ever, and to fhameful filence brought,
Yet gives not o'er though defp'rate of fuccefs,
And his vain importunity purfues.

He brought our Saviour to the western fide
Of that high mountain, whence he might behold
Another plain, long but in breadth not wide,

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Wash'd

Wafh'd by the fouthern fea, and on the north

To equal length back'd with a ridge of hills,

That fcreen'd the fruits of th' earth and feats of men 30
From cold Septentrion blasts, thence in the midst
Divided by a river, of whofe banks

On each fide an imperial city food,
With tow'rs and temples proudly elevate
On fev'n fmall hills, with palaces adorn'd,
Porches and theatres, baths, aqueducts,
Statues and trophies, and triumphal arcs,
Gardens and groves prefented to his eyes,
Above the highth of mountains interpos'd:
By what ftrange parallax or optic skill
Of vision multiply'd through air, or glafs
Of telescope, were curious to inquire:

And now the Tempter thus

s his filence broke.

The city which thou feeft no other deem

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Than great and glorious Rome, queen of the earth 45
So far senown'd, and with the ipoils enrich'd

Of nations; there the capitol thou seeft
Above the rest lifting his ftately head
On the Tarpeian rock, her citadel
*Impregnable, and there Mount Palatine,
Th' imperial palace, compafs huge, and high
The ftructure, fkill of nobleft architects,
With gilded battlements, confpicuous far,
Turrets and terraces, and glittring fpires.
Many a fair edifice befides, more like
Houfes of God, (fo well I have difpos'd
My aery microfcope) thou may'ft behold
Outfide and infide both, pillars and roofs,
Carv'd work, the hand of fam'd artificers
In cedar, marble, ivory, or gold.

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Thence

Thence to the gates caft round thine eye, and fee
What conflux iffuing forth, or entring in,
Prætors, proconfuls to their provinces
Hafting, or on return, in robes of fate;
Lictors and rods, the enfigns of their power,
Legions and cohorts, turms of horse and wings:
Or einbaffies from regions far remote

In various habits on the Appian road,

Or on th' Emilian, fome from fartheft fouth,
Syene', and where the fhadow both way falls,
Meroe Nilotic ile, and more to weft,
The realm of Bocchus to the Black-moor fea
From th' Afian kings and Parthian among these,
From India and the golden Cherfonefe,

And utmost Indian ile Taprobané,

Dufk faces with white filken turbants wreath'd;
From Gallia, Gades, and the British weft,
Germans and Scythians, and Sarmatians north
Beyond Danubius to the Tauric pool.

All nations now to Rome obedience pay,

To Rome's great emperor, whofe wide domain
In ample territory, wealth and power,

Civility of inanners, arts and arinis,

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And long renown, thou juftly may'ft prefer
Before the Parthian; these two thrones except, 85
The rest are barb'rous, and scarce worth the fight,
Shar'd among petty kings too far remoy'd;

Thefe having fhown thee, I have shown thee all
The kingdoms of the world, and all their glory.

This emp'ror hath no fon, and now is old,

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Old and lafcivious, and from Rome retir'd

To Capres an iland fmall but ftrong

On the Campanian fhore, with purpose there

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His

His horrid lufts in private to enjoy,

Committing to a wicked favorite

All public cares, and yet of him fufpicious,
Hated of all, and hating; with what ease,
Indued with regal virtues as thou art,
Appearing, and beginning noble deeds,

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Might'st thou expel this monster from his throne 100
Now made a ftye, and in his place afcending
A victor people free from fervile yoke?

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And with my help thou may'ft; to me the power
Is giv'n, and by that right I give it thee.
Aim therefore at no less than all the world,
Aim at the high'eft, without the high'eft attain'd
Will be for thee no fitting, or not long,
On David's throne, be prophecy'd what will.
To whom the Son of God unmov'd reply'd.
Nor doth this grandeur and majestic fhow
Of luxury, though call'd magnificence,
More than of arms before, allure mine eye,

Much less my mind; though thou fhould't add to tell
Their fumptuous gluttonies, and gorgeous feafts
On citron tables or Atlantic ftone,

(For I have alfo heard, perhaps have read)
Their wines of Setia, Cales, and Falerne,

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Chios, and Crete, and how they quaff in gold,
Crystal and myrrhine cups imbofs'd with gems
And ftuds of pearl, to me fhould't tell who thirit 120
And hunger ftill; then embaffies thou fhow'ft
From nations far and nigh; what honour that,
But tedious wafte of time to fit and hear

So many hollow compliments and lies,
Outlandish flatteries? then proceed'ft to talk

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Of th' emperor, how eafily fubdued,

How

How glorioufly; I fhall, thou fay'it, expel
A brutish monfter; what if I withal
Expel a Devil who firft made him fuch?

Let his tormenter confcience find him out;
For him I was not fent, nor yet to free
That people victor once, now vile and bafe,
Defervedly made vaffal, who once just,

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Frugal, and mild, and temp'rate, conquer'd well,
But govern ill the nations under yoke,
Peeling their provinces, exhausted all
By luft and rapin; first ambitious grown
Of triumph, that insulting vanity;

Then cruel, by their sports to blood inur'd

Of fighting beafts, and men to beafts expos'd, 140 Luxurious by their wealth, and greedier still,

And from the daily fcene effeminate.

What wife and valiant man would feek to free
These thus degenerate, by themselves inflav'd,
Or could of inward flaves make outward free? 145
Know therefore when my feafon comes to fit
On David's throne, it fhall be like a tree
Spreading and overfhadowing all the earth,
Or as a stone that fhall to pieces dash
All monarchies befides throughout the world,
And of my kingdom there fhall be no end
Means there fhall be to this, but what the means,
Is not for thee to know, nor me to tell.

To whom the Tempter impudent reply'd.
I fee all offers made by me how flight
Thou valueft, becaufe offer'd, and reject'ta
Nothing will please the difficult and nice,
Or nothing more than ftill to contradi&
On the other fide know also thou, that I